'American Horror Story:Coven' 3.04 "Fearful Pranks Ensue" Review

FX

You could say that if last week the battle lines were drawn then this week is all about the opening shots in the grand war of witch vs witch down in New Orleans on Halloween. Already both sides have taken casualties and from how the traditional yearly Halloween time two-parter concluded it’s clear that the battle is about to get truly brutal indeed. Even before Marie Laveau’s wakened her undead horde (for the second time even in just one episode) one side is already facing some serious internal conflicts as Fiona’s actions from last week carry some big consequences that promise to leave at least one witch’s life in ashes.

'The Originals' 1.05 "Sinners and Saints" Review

CW

If you were one hundred percent certain that Marcel was the grand villain of the story, then clearly you haven’t been paying attention.

'Revenge' 3.05 "Control" Review

ABC

Tonight on Revenge, we find out who the Hamptons Killer is…

'American Horror Story:Coven' 3.03: "The Replacements" Review

FX

When Cordelia Foxx performed her snaketastic fertility ceremony with her husband Hank in last week’s episode, people probably assumed it would work. Magic, we've been taught throughout the pop culture landscape, is the ultimate problem solver and just as Delia’s doctor said when he informed her that she could never be pregnant, ‘if I could wave a magic wand, I would’. We've already seen Cordelia try this along with every other method that’s more medically legitimate and still nothing. Tonight’s episode proved the point in several storylines that magic is far from a problem-solver and its consequences are dire in a world where the realms of science and even God preclude what nature can sustain. Or put simply, everyone dies, some people can’t give birth, and never ever fuck your son.  These may seem like common facts of life but in the world of American Horror Story there are few, if any limits.

'The Originals' 1.04 "Girl in New Orleans" Review

CW

This week on The Originals, the show starts to put a new mystery into play while giving a few of its characters a hell of a lot more backstory than they had before.

'Revenge' 3.04 "Mercy" Review

ABC

So it turns out I was a little premature last week when I announced that Father Paul was dead.

'Once Upon A Time' 3.04 "Nasty Habits" Review

ABC

Sometimes a game-changing episode is touted as such in the promos leading up to the episode's air date. Other times, it occurs under the radar and genuinely provides a bit of a shock to the audience. If Once Upon A Time is suggesting what I think they were in tonight’s episode, ‘Nasty Habits’, then this situation definitely falls toward the latter. You'll never look at this version of Peter Pan the same way again.

'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' 1.04 "Eye Spy" Review

ABC

‘People are surveying themselves.’ 

This is Agent Coulson's line during a mission briefing after a bold daylight heist in Stockholm puts the team on the trail of a former agent who at first it seems might actually have a power, but the truth is far more nefarious. While he’s referring to the fact that the nature of this particular diamond transport was flashy enough to gain the interest of several tourists and natives as great Instagram fodder, it’s also a great bit of wordplay and foreshadowing when we learn the true nature of former agent Amador’s immense capabilities. As it stands, it was moments like this one which made ‘Eye Spy’ possibly the finest hour of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. yet. 

'The Originals' 1.03 "Tangled Up in Blue" Review

CW

Tonight on The Originals, we found out that girls like boys who are nice to them (what a concept) and we discovered that babies on supernatural shows are almost always trouble!

'Revenge' 3.03 "Confession" Review

ABC

Even with Victoria Grayson now bankrupt we don’t have to worry about the Hamptons suddenly having a lack of theme parties.  Nolan takes up the reins this week with his very own nautical-themed housewarming party and it results in sparks flying everywhere.

'American Horror Story:Coven' 301 "Bitchcraft" Review

FX

Even though things on American Horror Story:Coven kick off in the past all the way back in 1834 with the introduction of perhaps the most malicious baddie in all three seasons of AHS, the slave-torturing sadist Madame Delphine Lalaurie, it isn’t until the middle of the episode where the true themes of this season emerge and explode on screen. Newly awakened teen witch Zoe Benson (S1 returnee Taissa Farmiga) attends a local frat party with her classmate, witch bitch Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts), and together they experience a real life horror story as Madison is drugged and the frat boys take turns forcing themselves on her. Kyle (Evan Peters), the only pure boy in the fraternity, was downstairs flirting with Zoe unaware of her deadly secret and when he discovered what his brothers were doing, promptly lost his shit and caused them all to head for the hills so they wouldn’t get busted for their crime. As Kyle gets into a fight with the lead frat boy over the assault of Madison, she wanders out of the party in a daze to stand next to Zoe as they watch the bus drive away. Until that is, Madison lifts her hand and uses her telekinetic abilities to flip the bus over in the blink of an eye--killing several and injuring two of its male passengers inside. This is basically what would have happened at Duke if their victim was a witch and it’s the idea of women struggling against oppression that is the impetus of Coven more so than any other series of American Horror Story.

'The Originals' 1.02 "House of the Rising Son" Review

CW

Tonight marked the second episode of The Originals, on its regular night and time and what I hope will prove to be the true format that will run through the season.  Where the first episode felt like recap/retcon hell, this episode provided quite a few origin stories when it came to the relationships the original family had with each other and Marcel in New Orleans, and it was freaking amazing.

'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' 103 "The Asset' Review

ABC

When someone mentions Marvel Comics, the instinctual first thought that comes to mind most likely involves superheroes in tights using their powers to fight off supervillains that have a similar fashion sense. It’s the image of the more popular adaptations from Marvel and likely what some expected to get on the small screen from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. But the reality is that in many books Marvel has produced over the years what is more commonly seen usually has to do with the concept of global conglomerates pushing the ethical limitations of what nature and science should be allowed to do. These leaders of industry are then aided by genius scientists and the like that either embrace the megalomaniacal ambitions that come from such power, or come to realize that the discovery is too much and mustn't be allowed to continue. Dr. Franklin Hall, a former mentor of Agents Fitz and Simmons, is firmly in the latter group when the discovery of a powerful rare element leads Dr. Hall to make his own ‘hard call’.

'Sleepy Hollow' 104 "The Lesser Key of Solomon" Review

Fox

One of the first confirmed success stories of the new fall season, Fox’s Sleepy Hollow, just received a second season pick-up for thirteen more episodes. Some people thought it was a little surprising that Fox would order the same amount of episodes that the first season had when many shows get twice the episodes ordered for their second season once they’ve proven worth the investment. Capping the number of episodes per season is the best thing that could have happened to Sleepy Hollow outside of its fantastic casting since every week we’re getting a little more mythology to work with without being overwhelmed. It’s important these days to keep them coming back for more and tonight’s episode, ‘The Lesser Key of Solomon’, grew Sleepy Hollow’s mythology a boost by furthering the connection between the past and present as we learned that the conspiracy goes deeply enough to be found in the smiling facade of a next door neighbor. 

'Revenge' 3.02 "Sin" Review

ABC

Tonight we’ve seen what I can only describe as the first genuine feeling of regret Emily Thorne has ever had about taking down someone from her list.  It was only a matter of time before someone she targeted was either entirely innocent, or did everything they could to atone for their sins.

'The Originals' 1.01 "Always and Forever" Review

CW

I’ll admit that, inspite of the magical baby wank last season, I was still excited for the proper premiere of The Originals.  The backdoor pilot was almost entirely flawless so that only makes me all the more disappointed in the recut version with new scenes that they aired tonight.

'The Vampire Diaries' 501 "I Know What You Did Last Summer" Review

The CW

Despite the fact that everyone’s going to start their review in a similar fashion, I still have to say that shifting a high school show-themed show to college is indeed a tricky endeavor. The thing about The Vampire Diaries though, is that it may actually be one of the better things to happen to this show in years. Splitting up characters into different locales paves the way for new story opportunities and character interactions. Plus, what is college for most freshmen if not parties and skipping classes anyway? Two things that Elena and Caroline get top marks in. Their story line also shows Elena's and Caroline's shared talent for getting instantly wrapped up into a deadly mystery that could threaten their well-being in addition to their vampire secret. It also gives the viewers a chance to reacquaint themselves with the character of Elena outside of her romantic attachments. Back when she had a life of her own, when she went to parties and such with her friends, and her every move wasn't dependent on something the brothers needed of her. Her college mystery plotline also proves that it doesn’t matter that she moved away, the ever-mysterious Elena Gilbert remains an important part of most of this show's stories.

'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' 102 "084" Review

ABC

Last week our newly-formed S.H.I.E.L.D. special team dealt with a powers-related incident--one of the many fallouts from all that has occurred in the world since the Battle of New York changed the rules forever. There was a tease at the end of the episode regarding their next case, a 0-8-4 aka an object of unknown origin down in Peru. The team’s greatest challenge this week had less to do with this object than with the team still trying to put aside their vast differences in personality and training level in order to save the day.